top of page
Search
Thoughts on Retirement
Is it a good thing? I remember a conversation with a man who had been nominated to be an Elder of the church. He had served before, but...
Aug 5, 2022
Kok's Recommended Antidote
The amount of stress that everyone is feeling these days can be overwhelming without having the right attitude when dealing with it, nor...
Jul 22, 2022
Theology From An Astronaut
Getting away from it all works wonders, and experience teaches us. Quiet-time ... being alone ... solitude ... all create space for...
Jul 8, 2022
The Price of an Unpaid Traffic Ticket
In 1958, I left Kalamazoo, Michigan, where I was working as a vocational rehabilitation counselor, to go to seminary in...
Jun 24, 2022
An Angel Experience?
Or a Coincidence? We were sleeping at a cottage at Cobmoosa Shores, near Stony Lake, and facing Lake Michigan. Only Linda and I were...
Jun 10, 2022
Noticing the Good in Life!
. I made a quick mental run through my week just ending and made a striking discovery. Although intensely involved in some important...
May 27, 2022
You Are Far More Than You Think You Are!
The newly installed hospital chaplain, a middle age pastor, exclaimed, "I don't have anything to offer her." He said this as he talked...
May 13, 2022
10 Tips for Helping a Hurting Person
Sadly, well-meaning people often feel awkward when dealing with a friend who is deeply hurting. And in their awkwardness, they grope for...
Apr 29, 2022
Giving Improves Your Health
Hold on a minute! Hear me out! You are approached with requests that you give or donate to something or other all the time, right? You...
Apr 15, 2022
How Tall Are You?
Here is an interesting experiment you can try. I have done this before groups of people, and the results are quite interesting. Stand,...
Apr 1, 2022
Big Smile, Long Life
People who smile a lot are usually happier, have more stable personalities, more stable marriages, better cognitive skills and better...
Mar 18, 2022
EGO DETACHMENT: A Lesson We All Need
An inability to speak your opinions and ideas in public is often due to a simple problem — ego attachment. What that means is that you...
Mar 4, 2022
A Major Mistake When Helping the Hurting
When visiting someone who is in grief, or who has recently been hit by a distressing or unsettling event there is a major temptation. It...
Feb 18, 2022
Finding a Coin - Part 2
Goodness is from God. So when good times pass our way, we are being caressed and nurtured by God, whether we know it or not. Such times...
Feb 4, 2022
Finding a Coin Can Trigger Love
Positive experiences are spiritual events. That is, something heart-warming or supportive that happens to us is more than just something...
Jan 16, 2022
The Correct Perception of Humility
Humility is seen in the capacity to do what needs to be done. Humility includes not thinking oneself greater than others, but the...
Dec 27, 2021
Life Is God's Gift
Disbelief, shock, then anger are the initial responses to a personal announcement of imminent death. It is rarely an acceptable...
Dec 10, 2021
This is Thanks-giving Month
START A GRATITUDE JOURNAL Much is now known about the benefits of practicing intentional thankfulness. It isn't just a high-level...
Nov 26, 2021
More Acts of Kindness
#1. I had just led the funeral of a dear woman. We were invited by her husband, Dave Cook, to come to their house after the general...
Nov 12, 2021
Intentional Acts of Kindness
Our Care and Kindness Campaign is to urge people to make INTENTIONAL acts of kindness part of their life-style. Everyone is familiar with...
Oct 22, 2021
Understanding Our Influence Through Prayer
I visualize the shape of prayer like an enormous triangle. Looking at the triangle, I imagine the top—the peak—is God. The left bottom...
Oct 8, 2021
KOK's LAW
‘Kok’s Law’ came into being as a means of survival in intimidating circumstances. No doubt, others have stumbled on its genius, too, but...
Sep 24, 2021
More on loving my enemies
What makes that commandment so hard for us is that when we think of love, we think of the love we have for our spouse, or our parents,...
Sep 10, 2021
Love My Enemies ?? Really !!?
Love my enemies? Really !!? That’s a hard one, isn’t it? Luke 6:27 says, “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do...
Aug 27, 2021
bottom of page